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If you don’t like what people think of you, it’s never too late to start a new chapter or new and improved you.

How long do you think it takes to make a first impression? Two minutes? Thirty seconds perhaps? What about seven seconds?

It takes less time than it takes to have a sip of your coffee and dunk your donut and you’ve got the complete picture of the stranger in front of you.

Worse still this will stick. Not just for seconds but months, years or perhaps even longer.

You’ve got your first impression and there’s no going back. I once met a “public relations expert” whose business was based on how to make an impact but sat in a meeting playing with her phone asking how to use some app while the presenter was speaking. Yes, true to her brand, she made an impact and a lasting impression.

Neuroscientists say our brains give us up to 11 possible perceptions within the first three to seven seconds of meeting someone yet it can take eight or more subsequent further encounters – and all positive – in order for this perception to change.

We have all had occasions when our first take on a person has been less than favorable but time and exposure to that person’s strengths and goodness has made us feel guilty and caused us to reconsider our impression while simultaneously questioning our own judgement skills.

We are not that superficial but a lot of what we do and our safety depends on us assessing a situation rather quickly. We would like to believe our assessments are pretty accurate, but that is not always the case.

You do need to remember that just as quickly as you assess a person or situation, so do the people assessing you.

Here are some thoughts to meditate on:

What do I believe is the first impression I make on people?

Is there someone I trust to tell me the truth about what first impression your making?

What changes do you want to make?

What changes are you willing to make?

Do you want to take baby steps of big bold steps?

You can’t turn yourself in side out just because someone else wants you to. You are a special and unique human being with much to contribute to the world.

The main motivator is whether you are bothered by what people think in the first place.

If you are still struggling, why not book my 30 minute no obligation “Try Me” coaching session, I am a life coach in Penyslvania.